Dinosaurs A to Z
Dromaeosauridae

Zhongjianosaurus yangi

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Zhongjianosaurus 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Zhongjianosaurus
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (125–120 Mya)
Place
Asia
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.
Zhongjianosaurus reconstruction by Midiaou Diallo
Reconstruction · Midiaou Diallo (CC-BY)

Zhongjianosaurus is a genus of dromaeosaurid belonging to the Microraptoria. Believed to hail from the Yixian Formation, specifically the middle of the Jehol Biota, it is the smallest known microraptorine thus far discovered and one of the smallest non-avian theropod dinosaurs.

What we know

  • Named by Xu & Qin, 2017.
  • Fossils found in Asia.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Zhongjianosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.